Shoe Reviews

New Balance 730 Running Shoe Review

Can you get a great minimal running shoe from New Balance let alone any shoe manufacturer for under $70? To my surprise, I found one of the best deals for a brand new shoe in the New Balance 730. Well, Peter Larson (runblogger) found the shoes, asked me if I heard about the NB 730, then I found them. Anyhow, I checked them out and ordered them right away.

My first thought was how nice the shoe looked, out of the three color ways offered on the Finish Line website, (use the code NEWYEAR10 for $10 off your purchase) I chose the one that looked the most like the iconic New Balance 574. I figured, if the shoe wasn’t good for running I could wear it for fashion. When the shoe arrived, I was happily surprised by how light it is at 7.3 oz. The 730 has a generous toe box for those of you that like a little more room upfront. The 730 utilizes ACTEVA™ LITE premium lightweight midsole provides optimal resistance to compression set – 24% lighter than standard foam, which provides just enough cushioning for a minimal running shoe. The shoe has a 3mm heel to toe drop. I ran a 22 mile training run in the New Balance 730 and my feet felt fantastic during and after the run. The blown rubber outsole is holding up well after 70+ miles of wear and is extremely flexible. Zak Brannigan contacted me through twitter when he saw the conversation between Pete and me and gave us some info he had on the shoe. Zak told us that the 730 was made for the “B” market and wouldn’t be sold through specialty running stores. These were made for the larger chain stores. Apparently, the materials and finishing is slightly lower quality than the top of the line shoes. You wont notice it.

From New Balance: “Inspired by the body, infused with style, and engineered in a way where less is more, the New Balance 730 delivers a natural solution to ultra-lightweight running. Delivering a sock-like fit and equipped with a welded saddle for structural midfoot support, this minimalist running shoe will keep you in comfort for a great experience on your feet.”

The shoe can be found online with free shipping for under $70. In my opinion this is a tremendous value shoe. It is fun to run in and feels terrific. This is a perfect shoe to try the more minimal shoe style without breaking the bank.

From Runblogger “The 730’s are also very firm, but for some reason they don’t feel as
harsh to me, perhaps because the sole is thinner and thus more
flexible than in the MR10. I like running in the 730’s, not so much
the MR10.”

Just found these at SportsAuthority tonight. Great buy! I will run in the AM to test the capasity of the shoe to support 184 lbs. and naturally hold a gate but, I can already tell its going to be a great run. I was looking for a minimal shoe because I needed something compact on my bike over the next 30 days, traveling abroad. I was willing to spend the $105 for the MT10 but when I tried these on and then saw how flat these folded without destruction of the heal box, I was sold. By the way, the stitching is just as good as on the $100 product and the last is almost exacly the same. Thanks to the bloggers for the reviews I read on my iphone while in the store tonight. For $59 I was tempted to buy two!

Just picked up a pair myself. I wanted a slightly more padded shoe for long runs then my Vibram Fivefingers and after trying on a ton of shoes I decided on these. The are extremely comfortable and have a nice wide toe box for toe splay. I had originally bought the Minimus Zero Roads but they were not comfortable and hurt my feet after just 10 minutes of walking. These are quite a bit more padded then what I am used to but hopefully they will work for the longer and more rocky runs that I do.
thanks for the review, definitely helped me decide to go try them on in the first place.

Just bought a pair at Sports Authority for $59. Normally wear an 11 but had to get a 10 1/2 in these. Excited to try them out tonight! I have been a religious Nike wearer for 3 years and am excited to try a cheaper more minimal shoe.

I purchased these shoes the 24th and ran on a treadmill the same day. These didn't make running easier or more comfortable compared to my 7 year old, falling apart, wilson tennis shoes. However, they changed the vibrational boundary conditions enough to the effect that I could feel the impact (treadmill is high impact) in my thighs and feet rather than my hips and knees. This is a huge improvement from the biomechanical perspective. Despite being only 6ft and ~ 12% body fat, I weigh 200lbs from a wide build, so that's an important consideration.
I had been wearing 7 year old Wilson tennis shoes because they were the only athletic shoes I could previously find with a wide enough toe box, despite numerous shopping trips in that interval. They were notably superior to $100 + shoes because they fit my neutral running – mid-step stride and wide toe splay. Most running shoes, and all shoes for that matter, fit either pencil feet or fat overall feet.
I am satisfied with this product as a level-headed runner/consumer, but I have concerns about its longevity. This will be a big factor in whether I buy even more expensive running shoes next time around from NB, or just run in $25 leather tennis shoes that last.

Just wondering how these compare to the MT20. I picked up a pair of those a couple months ago and love the barefoot feel.
Is the sole as thin and flexible as the MT20? How about sizing- do you still buy them 1/2 size larger?
Thanks.
Kurt

The fit is similar in the toebox to the minimus collection. MT101 felt like a completely different shoe. It is hard for me to recall if the fit felt similar. I recommend ordering two sizes and returning the one that doesn’t fit.

Just bought a pair for $54 w/ free shipping at Running Warehouse. Crazy cheap!. If they feel anywhere near as good as the MR00s I'll buy a few more pair. I feel like a bit of a sucker for paying full price for the Road 00s now.
Thanks for the review / answers.

These are are TJ Maxx for $50. Bought them and ran tonight. Love! I only run about 15 miles/week, but my legs, feet, and knees feel great with these. They are incredibly light. When I put other shoes on they felt like bricks.

I just bought some of these on sale at Sports Authority in Tulsa for $40.00. I have been running in Minimus trail shoes because they were cheap but wanted some road shoes. These seem like the same shoe as what I have been using but with a road sole. They might be a hair smaller than the trail shoes though. I plan to run in them in the morning if the weather is permitting.

I am about 75% of the way through my second pair of these and they have been fantastic. I have found that other minimalist shoes have not stacked up, for one reason or another. The only criticism I have had is the floating tongue on the sneaker (it shifts to a side after a while), but I remedy that by lacing through the top-middle threading area with speed laces, and I have had no issue. Has anyone found a shoe with a similar makeup/last/etc. that can be purchased from an outlet other than ebay? Bonus points if you can find it for less than $50 (these were $30 on joesnewbalanceoutlet.com for a while). Thank you and great review!